Armox — The steel you want between you and risk

When a piece of steel is the only thing standing between a human being and a bullet, it better be hard and tough enough. Whether you’re building an armored military vehicle, a limousine for a corporate VIP or a panic room for a celebrity, you need to trust the quality and performance of your steel.

An acknowledged leader in armor and ballistic steel plate, SSAB brings more than 50 years of experience, thousands of design projects and an innovative approach to steel production for commercial and military use. Armox® and Ramor® offer a complete range of protection plate, from 300 HBW to ultra-hard 600 HBW. They feature guaranteed mechanical properties, tight thickness tolerances and excellent surface quality.

Let Armox serve as the steel that stands between you and risk, today and into the future.

Recommended plate thickness for different protection levels

Choose the right Armox or Ramor plate for secure protection

Armox - On the safe side

CUSTOMER CASES

Armox makes SUVs bulletproof

Armox makes SUVs bulletproof

British Armour Inc., a global manufacturer of armored SUVs with certified advanced ballistic protection, chooses the Rolls Royce of armor steel plating to protect its vehicles.

Looking through the customer list of British Armour, a global manufacturer of armored vehicles, you’ll see – in addition to the UN – names of presidents and police agencies. The company aims to manufacture its vehicles using the most advanced armoring materials and technology available, coupled with the highest ballistic standards.

“Personal safety is high on the agenda these days,” says CEO Finn Wattenberg, who has seen the company’s turnover rise 20 percent every year.

The challenge

When Wattenberg founded British Armour in 2003, he needed to find a protection plate that could meet stringent criteria. The Norwegian has a background in the defense industry, and it was here he first came in contact with SSAB.

The solution

The company selected Armox, which offers excellent ballistic protection and can withstand different types of attacks. British Armour buys SUVs, dismantles them and then armors them with Armox.

To simplify production, SSAB delivers the material in smooth, large pieces. This minimizes welding work as well as wear and tear on the laser cutters used to cut the steel.

As part of the certification process, each model is exposed to 600 bullets, 33 pounds of TNT and several hand grenades. In addition to armor plating, the vehicles also come fit with customized equipment to suit the specific needs of each customer. An overpressure system in the cabin provides protection against gas attacks, and containers holding tear gas, oil and road spikes effectively deter pursuers.

Customer benefits

“Our vehicles are built to withstand gunfire and roadside bombs,” says Wattenberg. “Steel is the absolute best material for this objective, and Armox is the Rolls Royce of armor steel plating. Everyone in the industry knows this, which gives us an advantage over our competitors.”

Armox plate protects Swedish embassy in Washington

Armox plate protects Swedish embassy in Washington

The unique Swedish Embassy building in Washington – the House of Sweden – was opened in 2006. The building and atmosphere reflect lightness, openness and transparency. But within its walls lies the strength of Armox, the world’s strongest protection plate.

The challenge

The Swedish Embassy garnered a great deal of international interest when it was inaugurated. The main design challenge lay in creating a safe and secure building while expressing openness, democracy and transparency.

Situated along the waterfront of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., the building was designed by Gert Wingård, an eminent Swedish architect. The embassy houses 16 apartments, as well as public areas for holding exhibitions and seminars. This creative environment is where the Swedish Ambassador and approximately 50 employees work and entertain.

A belt of brightly lit trees surrounds the body of the building, giving the impression that the structure floats at night above its reflection in the river. The materials used include light-colored wood, glass and stone, all reflecting the roots and traditions of Sweden.

The solution

The Swedish Embassy decided to use different grades of Armox protection plate with various thicknesses in door and wall structures, depending on the degree of protection needed.

With its combination of good ballistic properties and excellent toughness, Armox can be used for walls, doors, window frames, reception counters and shutters. Buildings such as airports, police stations, public authority buildings, railway stations and banks often use Armox.

Customer benefits

Provides high level of protection for personnel

Prevents unauthorized entry

Contributes to a safe, secure environment for the people who live, work and entertain there

Close relations to SSAB promotes safe solutions

Reduce weight — not standards. Upgrade from Ramor 500 to Ramor 550.

Armox protection plate masters the challenge at MaxiDoor

Armox protection plate masters the challenge at MaxiDoor

It’s a challenge when a customer wants a product that combines extreme strength and safety with an appealing design.
“But it’s also very inspiring to get such projects. We do our best when the task is a tricky one,” says Jens Gustafsson, president and co-owner of MaxiDoor in Frövi, north of Örebro.

Just as its name suggests, MaxiDoor manufactures doors, sections, walls and facades for applications that demand the highest level of fire safety and protection.

The first contact in a productive relationship

It was during the development of the RC 4 security door that Gustafsson first came into contact with SSAB’s Ramor 500, the tested and certified armor plate used as drill protection for lock cases.

"We were working on a solution for a customer in England,” he says. “The safety requirements were high, and we had to quickly obtain a steel that met both the customer’s security requirements and our own technical requirements.”

The company needed to industrialize the manufacturing process in a smart way.

“We simply needed a steel that was both tough and durable, but at the same time bendable and possible to weld without losing its properties,” explains Gustafsson.

At that point Gustafsson approached Tomas Svensson-Brunstedt, specialist in SSAB’s armor and ballistic steels Armox and Ramor. Together they quickly found a good solution.

Test samples from SSAB help the buying decision

“My contact with Tomas was decisive in two ways,” says Gustafsson. “On the one hand, he explained what you could actually do with Armox, and on the other hand, he saw to it that we had test samples of the plate. That really meant a lot to us.”

He offers examples of when the material samples may have proved instrumental in winning a big order:

“Basic properties, like heat resistance and bullet protection, are easy to test,” says Gustafsson. “We get certificates with this information when the plate is delivered. But how does the plate hold up if someone is continually kicking the door? Now the customers could come here themselves and test it out. The result exceeded our expectations, and we got the order.”

Multi-component, multi-purpose doors require the best steel

A security door is much more than a door leaf in a protection plate. The door frame, fasteners and locks must meet the same high standards. This means that a lot of plate must be used before a door is ready for delivery.

“The door leaf consists of a combination of steel grades,” says Gustafsson. “This is because it’s supposed to provide fire and burglary protection, and sometimes bullet protection. So, unique solutions might be needed to ensure that it is not possible to drill through the faceplate and that the door still remains flat and attractive after painting and finishing. And it’s also got to be able to withstand someone’s breaking in with a crowbar without becoming deformed.”

Here, Armox offers clear advantages. Thanks to the springback, the results of the break in attempts were barely noticeable.

SSAB products save weight

Another benefit that Armox brings to MaxiDoor is the use of thinner plate in the doors.

“Weight means a lot in the entire chain,” says Gustafsson. “It means the most during installation work, but there are clear benefits of lighter products in our production and for the end user of the door.”

Today, not all installers are happy working with door leaves that weigh more than 150 kilos.

“But thanks to Armox and Ramor, we manage the weight for normal-sized doors,” says Gustafsson. “For example, we went from 4 to 3 millimeter thick sheet on the RC 4. That means we cut the weight by 25 percent and the solution by an amazing 20 kilos.”

MaxiDoor has high hopes for the UK market.

“Our sales staff have been trained on Armox armor plate by Tomas Svensson-Brunstedt,” he explains. “That was highly valuable training. Broader knowledge about the materials we use in our products provides a clear added value when customers are considering buying our doors.”

Looks do count

But before a deal is sealed, after the long list of requirements is met, one more item must be checked off:

“It’s got to look good,” says Gustafsson. “And our products do. We have delivered security-rated window frames to the National Museum and other projects with high standards on aesthetics. MaxiDoor always has a solution that works.”

Sentinel: a success with Armox

Sentinel: a success with Armox

Sentinel is a name with obligations. It stands for border guard, which originally was exactly the purpose when the vessel Sentinel was designed by the company Nautic Africa.

“The Sentinel has become a real success story”, says Eddie Noble, responsible for Special Projects at Nautic Africa. “This vessel is based on a light and efficient hull and an armoured superstructure where extensive use of SSAB Armox plate guarantees the safety of the crew”.

From the beginning this design was the result of an increasing demand for secure solutions for crews working on boats transporting supplies to oil rigs of the West Coast of Africa.

“This is a tough environment in all respects”, states Eddie Noble. “And the companies present in the area have seen increasing activity from pirates in recent years”.

Even though the attacks seldom are successful, there is always the risk of people on-board getting injured”.

“Our solution has solved the problem”, says Eddie Noble. “Pirates typically focus their weapons on the control of the vessel, namely the superstructure, as this is where the crew are most of the time. Since we introduced Armox, the security for the crew has increased dramatically”.

The big leap in development came when Nautic Africa came into contact with SSAB in 2012.

“We found Armox very interesting in several respects”, says Eddie Noble. “Firstly, of course, because its properties perfectly matched what our customers needed regarding protection against gunfire. It was also important that SSAB could offer plates the required properties directly from their warehouse in South Africa. This logistic solution means a lot to us as we have a very efficient production process where everything has to be delivered just in time”.

Initially Nautic Africa used the SSAB Technical support

“The manufacturing of the superstructure takes place in another plant, specialised in working with composite material”, says Eddie. “As a first step, we received an introduction into cutting, bending and welding Armox from SSAB. But after that we have managed on our own as the Armox quality is the same from plate to plate. The high quality is very important for an efficient manufacturing process”.

It is important to Nautic Africa that the superstructure is as light as possible. The Sentinel vessels are known for high performance with weight having a huge influence on speed, endurance and manoeuvrability of the vessel.

“Also in this respect using Armox gives us an advantage”, says Eddie . “It is often possible to use thinner steel but still have the same level of protection”.

“We have created a multi-purpose design, vessels that are meeting changing operational requirements in the oil and gas industry, but at the same time providing essential safety for the crew”, says Eddie Noble. “There is always a market for multi-purpose vessels like this”.

Facts about Nautic South Africa

The company Nautic Africa is one of the subsidiaries in the Nautic Group The others are Nautic South Africa, Veecraft, Anchor Boat Shop and Southern Power Products. The Sentinel range is a complete range of fast and efficient multi-function vessels, primarily providing solutions to the offshore oil and gas industry. The Nautic Group is part of the Paramount Group of companies, which offers customised vessels solutions for the military and naval markets.